A Falling Star's Last Wish
C H A P T E R S I X
Men like war: they do not hold much sway over birth, so they make up for it with death. Unlike women, men menstruate by shedding other people's blood.
Tale arrived just as her captain and lieutenant did. She leaned against the wall to catch her breath. It had been a long time since she ever had to go that fast. Jinsu and Asa showed up behind the seated officers. Asa tried to keep her presence hidden so that they wouldn't try and flirt with her. Tale noticed them easily, though. Another prayer to the ancestors for some type of help.
The group gathered into the training room. Tale noticed that the large hole once in the wall was no longer there. They work fast.
"Shihouin-san," Tale looked over at Kazūme. The lieutenant had her hand out, motioning for the middle of the training arena. There stood a lean man with dark hair, pulling on a pair of black gloves. "You will be fighting our ninth seat, Wasiba Kouta, using hand to hand combat."
Tale gave a thankful sigh of relief and pulled her zanpakutou from her obi, trading it for the bandages to wrap around her fists. As she walked out to him, she wrapped the bindings over her knuckles - not too loose, not too tight.
Once in the middle, Tale bowed to the man - he did the same. They bumped knuckles together. A whistle blew from the sidelines, most likely Kazūme, and the fight began.
Kouta and Tale watched the other, looking for any flaws in the other's stance. Tale was putting most of her weight on the balls of her feet, Kouta mostly on his heels.
"Ladies first," Kouta said, still looking for some kind of opening.
"Then go ahead and throw something at me," Tale's response was. She could hear a little chuckle from her captain and Asa. Kouta only growled and swung with his right.
Tale stopped it with her own right hand. Kouta furrowed his brow and punched with his left - Tale grabbed his other fist with her own left. He looked at her, trying to figure out her next move. The hime grinned and head-butted him (ignoring the sharp ache that overcame her senses) - this gave her a few seconds of him not being able to react.
She brought her left knee up, digging it into his lower torso - that gave her another few more seconds. Next Tale spun around; uncrossing their arms and put all her strength (and little help with reiatsu) she was able to throw him over her shoulders and onto the ground. Kouta let out a yelp of pain, but was able to pull Tale down with him.
The two wrestles, trying to hit the other with everything they had. Kouta had a scratch on his cheek from where she had used her nails, while Tale was sporting bruise on her side and cheek. She wasn't giving up. Neither was he.
As Tale struggled to get off her back, Kouta kept blocking her blows and pinning her arms down. "Such a feisty one. I wouldn't mind you in my bed," Kouta gave a wide, suggestive grin. Tale blushed, but she still wasn't happy with the meaning behind his words.
"Sorry, you're not my type!" Tale used her elbow to hit his jaw and with that three second-shock, she was able to get him on his back. She gave him a hard hit to the nose. (Was that a crack she heard?) Kouta reached up to nurse the bleeding appendage, but was stopped once again and slipped on his stomach.
Both his arms were pulled behind him, her foot on the back of his neck.
"Pin!" Kazūme yelled from the sidelines, and Tale let go. She wiped the sweat from her face with her sleeve and held out her hand to help Kouta up. He only scuffed at her and pushed it away, getting up on his own - she could barely keep back the snort from seeing all the blood coming from his now-oddly shaped nose.
"You're good," he said quietly to Tale and walked over to his fellow officers.
"Alright, Shihouin-san, next you will be doing the same with our eighth seat, Takuma Katsuro." This shinigami was a bit more muscular than Kouta, but she had more faith in her fists. Plus the rush of adrenaline was helping her with her hand-eye coordination
They bowed to one another, bumped fists, and this time Tale was the first to attack when the whistle blew. Katsuro blocked it and tried to hit her back; Tale blocked with her forearm, but she was still pushed back some. Katsuro threw another hit. This one made a connection on her upper ribs. Tale coughed, trying to catch her breath.
Katsuro grinned; about to throw his last hit before tale disappeared. He had only blinked. A kick to the back threw him off his feet and onto the ground. Tale grabbed at his arm, twisted it, and straddled his back, backwards.
"Pin!" Tale let go. That one had gone a bit quicker than she thought it would. He mainly relied on his strength, not speed - and he had obviously forgotten how fast she was.
Katsuro gave an angered huff and stood from the ground, brushing off the dirt. Asa and Jinsu cheered for her on the sidelines. Adrenaline continued to pump through her veins.
"Go Tale! Beat these bums' asses!" Asa shouted, laughing at the unamused looks on the officers' faces. Shunsui was the only one amused (other than Jinsu). Kazūme looked frustrated.
"Next, you will be using your zanpakutou against out seventh seat, Fudano Nei."
Tale wanted to just give up right there. She would definitely loose, unless she used kidō (which she most likely couldn't).
"Giving up already, Okitetsu-sama? I thought I knew you better..." She was mocking Tale, and Take knew it.
The new shinigami took her zanpakutou from Jinsu, hearing her whispered a "good luck", and nodded. She was going to need it. Tale stood in the middle of the arena, sliding her zanpakutou into the opening of her obi. As Nei unsheathed his own katana, Tale did the same with her kodachi. The ringing of metal echoed. There was a tense silence before Kazūme said, "Begin."
Tale blocked Nei's blade. Every hit he tried to land, she blocked (or tried). Nei did get a few slash slashes at her. The cuts in her Shihakushou were enough evidence of that. Nei was growing frustrated.
"What's your problem, Shihouin? Release your shikai already!"
'Like he had anywhere to talk,' she thought. 'Come on, Hoshi! Just help me out this once!' There was no answer to Tale's pleas. She sighed, but was distracted long enough that Nei was able to land a blow down on her. The blade slashed at her left shoulder. Tale gave a cry of pain and was knocked back a few feet as she grabbed at the wound. Her zanpakutou hung limply in her hand.
"Float, Enputi-shian!" Tale held up her zanpakutou to try and block the hit, catch herself when a stream of pain ran up her arm. The meteor hammer ball wrapped around her kodachi and it was pulled from her nonexistent grip.
Tale was left weaponless; all she had was her kidō and her speed... Of course! Her speed!
"Any last words, Shihouin?" Nei walked closer to her, swinging one end of his released zanpakutou in a circle, trying to make her afraid and forfeit. It wasn't working now that she had a plan. Tale tried to hide her grin, still gripping at the flesh wound on her shoulder, and slid her left foot back slightly.
"Yeah. Watch your back." She disappeared, her kodachi doing the same, before soon she reappeared - this time behind Nei with the sword (now in her bloody right hand) resting against the front of his neck.
"Any last words, Fudano?" Nei dropped his zanpakutou, it going back into its sealed form. "That's what I thought." Tale took her blade from his neck. Just as she was about to turn around and meet her new opponent, she saw a flash from the corner of her eye. Tale held up her sword to block it, but was too late. All the hime could do was close her eyes and wait.
The blow never came.
"You can open your eyes now, Tale-chan." Tale's golden irises snapped open. Shunsui stood in the space between Nei and Take. His bare hand had stopped the blade. Nei sputtered in shock. "You should be ashamed of yourself for trying to attack a distracted opponent, especially a wounded woman."
Nei could only stare at the hand that was gripping onto his blade - but no blood showed. He was far from just afraid of the punishment he was most likely going to get. Tale could only stare, also. She could hear Asa snickering. Shunsui turned to his newest Division member, letting go of the zanpakutou.
"Are you alright, Tale-chan?" His eyes were looking at the blood that was starting to stand her uniform. Tale sheathed her zanpakutou and used her right hand to cover it up, putting pressure on the wound so she could stop the bleeding.
"It's just a flesh room, nothing a couple bandages and a few days of taking it easy can't fix." She smiled at him, reassuring. Shunsui returned it.
"Good." He patted her head affectionately, even though she was only a few inches shorter than him. "That was a nice little trick you had there at the end." Tale blushed slightly at the compliment, and bowed her head.
"Thank you, Kyouraku-taichou." Shunsui chuckled at her flustered face.
"What have I told you about the honorifics?"
"Kyouraku-dono?"
"Try again~"
"Shunsui-dono?"
The captain sighed, but covered it with a lazy smile. "I supposed that'll do for now."
"Taichou! We must get Shihouin-san healed so she may continue on with her test!" Kazūme said from her spot. Jinsu stepped forward.
"I know enough healing kidō that could fix the cut in just a few minutes, rather than having to go all the way out to the Fourth Division."
Shunsui chuckled, impressed. "You're a little multi-tasker aren't you, Jin-chan~?" Jinsu blushed slightly and fiddled with the pink hair-scarf she had on. Asa looked between the two. She obviously saw why Jinsu acted like such a schoolgirl around this certain flamboyant captain.
"I have a lot of free time on my hands since Sato-taichou does most of the paperwork." Tale rolled her eyes, having obviously been forgotten.
"Now's not the time to be speaking of free time, Jin. Tale is still losing blood."
"Oh, right!" Jinsu jumped slightly at Asa's voice and hurried over to her friend. Tale grinned at the dark-haired lieutenant as she laid her glowing green hands over the wound.
"Someone's got a crush~" Tale whispered to Jinsu. She blushed deeply, scolding her friend. She denied it immediately.
"Shut up, or I'll make you fight with a screwed up shoulder." Tale laughed at Jinsu's threat, obviously not phased. "Just remember how badly you swing a zanpakutou when using your right hand." Tale instantly stopped laughing. She sent her friend a glare; this time it was Jinsu's time to grin.
"Are you done yet?"
"Actually, yes I am." Jinsu pulled her hands away and produced a piece of cloth for Tale to wipe her hands off on. Tale took it with a nod of thanks and cleaned away the blood in between her friends and then the hilt of her zanpakutou.
There was still no answer from Hoshi. Tale sighed, giving up on reaching shikai.
"Now, may we please continue?" Kazūme asked with annoyance evident in her voice. Jinsu nodded and walked back over to where Asa was standing. The towel disappeared. Tale stretched out her left arm, rolled her shoulder some - trying to get the muscle ready for more fight.
Kazūme waved for a red headed man to step up. "Your next opponent is Runa Suiwa." He had a very lanky body. How was he a sixth seat?
"Shihouin-san," he said as he bowed to her. Tale was quick to do the same.
"Runa-san." At least he was polite, Tale thought as they both stood up straight.
"Begin!" Kazūme said, and this time (again), Tale was the first to try and get a hit in. She had her zanpakutou out and ready. Suiwa blocked it with his own katana. Tale threw a kick at his side, but to dodge it, Suiwa turned to his side breaking the connection of their weapons. Tale did a step of shunpo to appear behind him, but Suiwa saw through the trick. He blocked another blow. He may not be strong, but he obviously made up for it in speed.
"The same trick doesn't always work twice!" Suiwa sliced his sword through the air, missing Tale but just a god few inches after she moved.
"Well, I guess I'm going to have to find something else up my sleeve."
-starlightstarbright-
Ukitake Juushiro was feeling unusually well today. Why, he didn't know, but was not going to question it either. It was rare for him to feel this good after an attack, no matter the size. Maybe he should go see Retsu-san; maybe he was getting better?
"Ukitake-taichou! Where are you going?" exclaimed his lieutenant. Juushiro merely smiled at the worried man.
"I feel unusually well today, Daichi-san. I thought I might go for a walk, visit Kyouraku-taichou even."
Daichi seemed highly hesitant before nodding. "Of course taichou, I apologize for stopping you." He bowed to his captain. Juushiro simply scratched at the back of his neck.
"Oh, don't worry about it, Daichi-san. I shall join you in just a while to help with the paperwork. I'd like to catch up on what is happening around the Seireitei." Daichi had no where to put in a protest for his captain flashed away.
Juushiro appeared in front of the Eighth Division's gates. He casually walked in, used to doing this for the past two years. Some of the men in the courtyard stopped to greet him.
"Hello, there," the sickly captain smiled at the shinigami. "Would any of you happen to know where you captain is?"
One of the men answered, "Kyouraku-taichou and Shiba-fukutaichou are both in the training room testing a new recruit." Juushiro nodded to them and thanked the man before walking off to where he felt the reiatsu of his closest friend, his lieutenant, a few other men of the Eighth Division, Asa (an old classmate), and Hiworti-fukutaichou. And one that was quite familiar... but he couldn't figure out who the person was.
When Juushiro entered the room, he made sure to not let his presence none to anyone, but he knew Shunsui knew he was here. His old friend could tell he was anywhere near him for at least four klicks away. Juushiro watched the fight going on between Shunsui's sixth seat and... And a woman with a tan complexion and deep violet hair.
He watched her as she blocked Runa-san's zanpakutou and tried to get in her own few hits. Runa was obviously winning this fight. He had the upper hand of much more experience and the fact that the woman had obviously been injured in a previous fight. Her bloody shoulder gave away that.
Tale felt eyes on her. She wouldn't dare turn her head away from Suiwa, but she wanted to so badly. It wasn't the usual feel of observation. It was... different. Too different for her to explain. Tale became slightly distracted with her thoughts and almost couldn't block one of Suiwa's blows.
"I'm surprised you're still standing, Shihouin-san. I thought you would have given up by now." Tale swung, but didn't make it. Instead, she got a small slash on the back as Suiwa flashed to get out of the way. "Go ahead, show us your shikai. I'm dying to know what it is."
Tale's brow furrowed, but she didn't respond to his words. Only continued to block and fight back.
"Okitetsu-sama..."
'Not now, Hoshi! I'm busy here!' Even though Tale was relieved that her zanpakutou was talking again, this wasn't the right moment.
"But Okitetsu-sama, I-"
'I said not now!'
There was silence in her mind, before a loud metallic ring echoed in her mind. She closed her eyes and shook her head to make it go away.
"You're ready. Say my name."
Silence rang through the arena as Tale jumped back, her stance something they hadn't seen before. A whole new amount of confidence burned in her golden eyes.
"You said you want my shikai, right?" Runa Suiwa stepped back some, not knowing what to exactly expect. He himself was ready to release his own zanpakutou any second. "Well, here you go."
Tale gripped onto the blade of her zanpakutou, no blood began to drip. "Fall with the suns behind you," The kodachi glowed a violet color, before splitting into two pieces. "Gekijou no Sutanegai!" The split pieces of metal molded into a much smaller piece. Once into their needed shape, Tale snapped the tessen fans open. It was midnight black steel with white-gold stars (the same shape as that of the hilt guard on her seal zanpakutou) painted on them. Tale held them in a bent-knee stance.
Her legs were bent at the knee, all her weight resting on the balls of her feet, as she positioned the fans in front of her, ready to attack.
Runa laughed. "You think a pair of fans can do defeat me? You're sadly mistaken, princess!" Suiwa got ready to release his own zanpakutou, but Tale had been ready.
"Koufukin." She spun, lifting the fans in the air as she did so, and once back around Tale swiped them down creating a large column of air to shoot out at Runa. He was forced back, off his feet, and onto the ground.
Kazūme watched every moment with wide eyes, writing down what she could without missing something important. Runa Suiwa was not happy.
"Bury, Nadarefukyuu!" A pale blue colored urumi appeared in his hands, and Suiwa instantly snapped it out like a whip. Before Tale could blink, though, the ends had somehow been snapped out to her - and they hit their mark. Her wrists were bound by the sharp edges of the urumi. Her arms began to bleed. Regrettably, Tale had to drop her zanpakutou, and it went back to its sealed form as a kodachi.
She had been defeated, but Suiwa still didn't let go. He tugged on the handle of the urumi, making Tale stumbled forward and cutting deeper into her arms. Blood dripped down to the ground quickly.
"Stop! You have won, stop!" Everyone turned to face Juushiro as he stepped forward to stop the fight before it continued on any worse. Suiwa instantly released Tale's arms, reeling back the sharp ends. Jinsu rushed over to try and treat the cuts. Kazūme was still writing things in her file. Shunsui wouldn't meet Juushiro's eyes, knowing he could of (and should) have stopped the fight before it went this far. Asa rushed over to help Jinsu.
"Kyouraku-taichou, we must take her to the Fourth Division immediately! She's lost too much blood!"
Author's Note:
Well… wasn't that a drama/action filled chapter? I hope it was okay… and that I didn't make Tale seem Mary-Sue-ish. I would hate that.
Yay! Juu-kun! And we learn Tale's zanpakutou, too! Finally… it gets tiring to say "zanpakutou", "spirit" and "voice" all the time. I think I'll just stick with "Hoshi" from now on. /grin.
If there are any mistakes, please forgive me. I wasn't really paying much attention when going back over it. Also, if I missed any words (ones that you don't know), just tell me and I'll fix it~ thankies!
Enputi-shian – Empty Meditation
Gekijou no Sutanegai – Fury of a Star's Wish
Koufukin – Grant
Nadarefukyuu – Eternal Avalanche
Urumi – it's a type of sword that has sharp, metal whip-like ends (look it up on Wikiapedia)
I was wanting to ask something to all of you who read this story… Do you actually like it? Because if you don't then I won't waste my time writing something that no one's going to read. Sure, I write it for fun, but I have other ideas I could be writing about. So, I would REALLY appreciate it if you would drop me a review, or even just send a message! Who knows… if you make me happy enough I might let you have a character in here~ (yes, that was a bribe. A failed attempt at one too.)
Longest chapter yet! WHOOT.